DNA leads to man’s arrest in California in 1998 Florida rape

February 12, 2019

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say DNA linked to a Florida rape more than 20 years ago has led to a man being arrested and extradited from San Francisco.

The Palm Beach Post cites a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report as saying Lenny Ray Friou has been arrested in the 1998 rape of an 18-year-old woman in West Palm Beach. He was jailed without bail in the county Wednesday on a charge of sexual assault with a weapon or force.

The sheriff’s office started a project in 2015 to review a backlog of 1,500 rape evidence kits.

The now-39-year-old victim told the sheriff’s office last year that she wanted to pursue the case. It was re-opened in March, and DNA connected Friou to the assault.